Motor-carriage.



J. G. SHERMAN.. MOTOR CARRIAGE. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 21, 1905.

@@Q.. Patented Nom-3, 31908.

AJM. f

i lar degrees hehind the other oi the two remaining cranks, assuming also in this case that the narran snare. earner rares.

Jenn e. SHERMAN, or onLiNn, MASSACHUSETTS.

storen-cashmere.

No. 902,692. @pecieation of Lettere Patent. Patented Nov. 3, 15908.

I appunti@ site. Lingua si, una sei-iai No. maar?.

to secure a variation in the amount of power changing the sparking ac'tion oi' that itoperates, from its high- To all whom it may concern:

Eo it known that l, JOHN C. SHERMAN, of generated by Brookline, in the county oi' Norfolk and l the engine so State ot' Massachusetts, have invented cerest efficiency to a relatively low etiiciency, or

tain new and useful improvements in Motorvice versa.

Carriagcs, of .which the .following is a speciii- Tt will be readily understood that when an cation. engine is not operating at its point of highest 4This invention relates to motors ci the ehciency, there is a `Waste oi power and a combustion-engine t e and has for its obwaste or' the combustible material. Conseiect to provide a plurality oi either 'ttvoor quently, my invention, as hereinbefore briefly stated, `provides tor the utilization of a plurality ot engine units, as may term them, eac oi" which is designed to operate at its highest point et ediciencyet all times.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate conventionally tour cycle engine-cylinders so combined and. related that all or part ot the total nuniloer ci cylinders may he immediately available for use and in such alterable relative positions of cranks as to secure uniformity ci torque or rotating moment, with such provisions that the number ot operating cylinders and the alterahl'e relative positions are determined by the operator in accord with the amount oiI mechanical power required.

To accomplish this urpose, ll provide a multi-cylinder engine or the combustion type, oi a maximum power-capacity equal to the maximum .normal demand to he made thereoi, and l divide the crank-shaft into two or more sections, eachseparate section thereof 1losing operated by one or more cylinders, pistons, and piston-rods; said separate sections ci the mam or engine-shaft transmitting theI different embodiments oi the invention-fii1 igure l repre'- sents in plan view a motor carriage equippei with one dorm ci the invention. Fig. 2 re 4resents the engines and their adjacent mec anism in side elevation. lFigs. 3, i and 5 are diametric views, illustrating the relative positions oi the cranks Whenone, two or three engines are in operation. (Assuming all to he ot two-cycle type.) Fig. 6 represents the mechanism tor controlling the sparking circuit, said figure being an enlarged representation oi'i a section on line 6--6 ot Fig. 2.

The loody oi the motor-carriage is indijcoiverot their respective cylinders to a comcated at 20. This, as stated, is illustrated mon driven member through gears or' conventionally and may he constructed in any suitable or desirable manner. The driving wheels oi' the carriage are driven from a shaft 2l. Three engine-units are illustrated at 22 23 24, respectively. They may be of the two-cycle or tour-cycle type, and each is equipped with the usual cylinder, piston and piston-rod. The crank-shaft is divided into sections indicated at 25 26 27, each of which is adapted to rotate independently of the others.

The engine unit 22 is designed to have a ermanent driving connection with the shalt 2l through section 25, while the shaft-sections 26 and 27, which are separately driven, respectively, by the engine units 23 and 2e, 'are yarranged to be connected through clutch devices with the shait 2i. the clutches and their shafts or sleeves are only shown somewhat conventionally Sin'ce they are or may he ci an well-known or preierredty e, and details description or illustration t ereot will not loe necessary to an clutches. The gears or clutches are so designed, as hereinafter set forth, that at all times the cranks oi such cylinders as are in use are held in symmetrical angular positions around the circle described hy their rotation. Thus, ii two cranks, each driven hy its respective cylinders and pistons, are operatin the common driven member, one ot sai cranks is at all times i8() degrees in advance of the other (assuming that each set et cylinders is designed to give one impulse in each rotation ot its crank, asin the case of a single two-cycle engine); thus also it three cranks are simultaneously connected to the driven rnemher and` are transmitting ower thereto, one or said cranks shall he at all tiinesl 20 anular degrees in advanceot one and 120 anguengine units are all ot the two-cycle type.

lin the operation oi comhiistion-engines at theA present date, itis customer to vary thev amount oi combustible material delivered to lunderstanding oi the present invention.

the engine tor the purpose oli varying the The shaft Sections 25, 26, 27, are provided power. generated thereloy, and inotner cases itvith gears 250, 260, 270, respectively, said gears` meshing with gears251, 261, 271`re spectively which are connected with clutch members presently described.

ing statlonary, since 'l he counter or clutch shaft 28 is mounted to rotate in suitable bearings, and the gears 261 and'271 are loose thereon. The gear 251 is fast on shaft 28. Mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith but capable of being shifted longitudinally'thereof, are clutch members 29, 30, 31, said members being shifted by means of levers 32, 33, 34 respectively, said levers having the usual pins or forks enter' annular grooves in the movable clutch members. These movable members are represented as of a well-known form comprising `the jaw part and the annularly-grooved part having an interposed spring to throw in the jaw part yieldingly.

he movable clutch members 29, 30, have their jaws facing toward opposite sides of the hub of t e gear 261, and said hub is formed with jaws so spaced relatively to the two.movable clutch members that the rotative positionin which the gear 261 will be clutched to the shaft will be different accordingv to whether said `hub is engaged by clutch 29 or clutch 30. The construction v1s such, 'as willbe hereinafter described, that only one of the clutches 29 or 30 can engage the hub at the same time. As will be clear at this point, when all of the clutchesare.- inl the disengaged positions shown in the drawings, only the engine unit 22 will be actuating the shaft 21, as mdieatedin Flg. 3, 'the'gear 251 -and the movable clutch members running idly,

and the gears 261 and 27'1 remainthey are loose onthe counter-shaft 28. The en e units 23 and 4' are now inoperative. ut when clutch member 29 is engaged with the hub of gear 261, and the unit 23 at the Sametime brought into action as hereinafter described, the power of unit 23 becomes a force (through gears 260 and 261, clutch 29, shaft 28 and gears 251 and 250) in addition to the power of unit 22. The arrangement of the jaw clutch 29 relatively to the gear 261 is such that the clutch becomes operative when the units 22 land 23 are.opposite each other in stroke, thus balancing their power.' Thel relative positions of the cranks of the two units at t is time are indicated conventionally in Fig. 4.

The jaws of the clutch members 30, 31 and the cooperating jaws formed in or on* the hubs of the gears 261, 271, are so spaced relatively to each other that when both of the units 23, 24 are coupled up through the medium of said c utches, the jaws of said clutches `will only engage or interlock when the strokes of the three units are uniformly spaced; that is when the cranks of the three units arev at an angle of 120 degrees to each other as indicated in Fi 5.

The means which I lave shown for actupasst.

'33, 34.- Bythrowing the h the jaws of this comprise ating the clutch levers comprise a hand lever 35 anda link 36 havin which the upper ends o? the levers 32, 33, 34 T eslots are so formed in the link, as shown in Fi 2, as to allow lost motion that will enable t e lever 36 toactuate the clutch levers in the following manner. With tho parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, only the engine unit 22 will be at work, as above described. By throwing the hand lever 35 utch 29 connects gear 261 operatively with the counter-shaft, the slots in the link 36 permitting said link to move to three slots through the left without effecting the clutch levers and lever over to thev extreme right, the clutchl 29 is disengaged fromits side of the gear 261, and the clutches 30 and 31 are simultan'eousl engaged respectively with the other side o gear 261 and with gear 271. l As has. been stated, the jaws of these clutches are so` formed that they will take or engage when the gears 261, 271 are in the positions which they occu y when the cranks of the three units are in t e position shown in Fig. 5. p

desired, s rings may be connected to the link 36 andpthe upper ends. of the clutch leversto produce a tendency ofthe clutches to 'automatically disengage when permitted to do so by the movements ofthe link.

f courseA it is essential. that when the ears of the units 23 and24 are connectedor 'sconnected as has been described,. the uni-ts themselves shall be started and stopped. The means which I have illustrated for doing breaking the circuits of the spar plugs of the engine units,said spark plugsbemg indi- -cated conventionally at 38.

A suitable source of electricity is indicated at 3 9,`one ole being connected by wire 40 and suitab e branches to all of the units. That is, each branch will connect electrically vwith one terminal of a spark plug of one unit.

From the opposite pole of the battery 39 a wire' 41 leads to the other terminal of the spark' plug of unit 22. his is fthe constantly-tworkin unit; the one that aiords all the powerw en the minimum of power is required.

A wire 424 connects the wire`41 with acon- -`tact` 43 (see Fig. 6) carried by and insulated from the lever 35. A suitably ,supported plate 44 adjacent to the lever 3'5 carries a contact 45 at one-end and a twin contact 46 at the other end, these two contacts being insulated from each Jother. 48 lead from the contacts.46 to the spark plu s of the engine units 23 and`24 respectiv and a wire 49 connects the contact 45 withthe Wire 47.

When the lever 35 is in the intermediate position, as shown in Fi 2, there is no circuit through an part o the lever orswitch mechanism. T e circuit being closedfrom Two wires 47 -andinvention, and described a which it may be its use, l declare ceases;-

the battery through the wires li() andill to the spark plug of the unit 22, there is no necessity o any operation of the switch. But when it isdesired t0 add the power of the engine unit-23, and the lever 35 is operl ated as hereinbetore described to throw the clutch 29 into connection with the hub o the gear 26l which meshes `'with the gear 260 driven by the unit 23,;such motion ot the lever 35 brings the contact 43 over to the contact l5 and thus enables the battery current to pass through branch wire 42 and through the contacts 43, 45, wiredg and Wire4 47 to the spark plug oi the unit 23. nud when it is desired to utilize thepower kci all three engine units, and the lever 35 is thrown to the right to disengage clutch 29 and engage the clutches 3() and 3l with the hubs oi the gears 263i and 27'l, as hereinbeiore described, then the corrtact'll3 passes over to the twin contacts 46 with which both wires l? and i3 are connected. said wires s? and d8 lead tothe sparlr plugs ci the two engine units 23 and 24 respectively, the said two units 23 and become operative their power is added to that the units .22 through the clutch or counter shalt the gears 25l1 and 259.

ln order that the plurality el separate combustion engine units 22, 23 and 24 may receive their combustible material trom a common source ci supply, ll may employ a single conduit or pipe 5% leading 'from a suitable source and having branches 5l connected with the several units.

Assuming that each engine unit is capable ot developing live-horse power', it will be seen that as each isconnected up tor operation, they nally transmit to' the shalt 2l the equivalent ci hitech-horsepower.

lt will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details oi construction which l have seen lrit to illustrate and further that the phraseology kwhich l emloy is tor the purpose oi description, and not ci limitation. rl"he lever 35 and the linlr 36 and the clutch levers operated thereby constitute a controller or controlling means yfor the connections between tbeseveral engine units adapted to be rendered active or inactive. f

Having thus explained the nature of the way et constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set iorth ci the terms in made, or all ot the modes ot that what l claim is l. ln a motor-vehicle, the combination with a plurality ot combustion-engine units, oi a common driven member, and driving connections between each ot said engine units and said driven member, said connections being ada ted to coect dierent engine units or different combinations ci encomprising 'counter-shalt being gine units with said driven member, single controller tor said connections.

2. ln a motor-carriage, the combination with a plurality of separate comlmstion-cn-v Yme units and a source ol supply for delivering combustible material thereto, mon driven member, a plurality of clutches for clutching' said units to said common driven member sin ly a single controller ever said clutches.

3.` A motor for motor-vehicles comprising a plurality oi common driven member, driving connections between each ci' said engine-units and said driven member, said connections being adapted to be rendered active or inactive, and means for simultaneously controlling said connections and the current tor the spark plugs oi the. units.'

t. i motor lor motor-vehicles comprising a plurality ci combustion-engine units,- a common driven member, driving connections by which said combustion-engine units may be disconnected trom or connected with said driven piembcr singly or in combination, electrical circuits ior'the several units, and means tor automatically controlling the circuits when the driving connections are operated.

5. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising a plurality of combustion-engine units, eachhaving a gear driven thereby, a counter-shalt having gears meshing with the gears oi said units, some of the gears on the counter-shalt being loose thereon and formed with clutch members, com lemental clutch members on said counter-s att, and means 'lor actuating said complemented clutch members.

n. An apparatus ot the character specified, a plurality of combustion-engine having a gear driven thereby, a

for controlling all' oi' units, each counter-shaft having gears meshing with the gears oi said units, some ot the gears on the loose thereon and terme with clutch members, complemental clutch members on said counter-shalt, means 'tor actuating said complemental clutch members, electrical connections tor rendering the units operative, and a lever having connections tor controlling the clutches and carrying means tor controlling the electrical circuits. l 7. A. motor tor motor-vehicles, comprising a plurality ot combustion-engine units, a common driven member, driving connections between each ot said enginennits and said driven member, said connections being adapted to be rendered active or inactive, and-meanswhereby diderent engine units willf be automatically connected with the drivenrnernber atv equally spaced angles ot application ot power.

of a comor in combination, and v combustion-engine units, aY

and a lZii l a plurality of 8.- A motor for motonvehicles', comprising gas-engine units, Va common driven member, driving connections` between each` of said engine units andV said driven member, said connections being adapted to be rendered active or inactive, and means for throwing the engine units into connection with the common driven meme ber with their cranks equally spaced.

9. A. motor for motor-vehlcles, comprising l a plurality of engine unitsI a common driven member, driving connections, between each of said engine units and said driven member, y said connections beingv ada ted to be rendered active or inactive, an means whereb said connections, when rendered active, be brought.- into action in a predetennined step to preserve the proper balance in thea plication of the power of the units to t e driven member.

10. A motor for motor-vehicles, comprising a plurality of engine units, a common driven member, and mechanism for connecting a variable number of units to the common driven ymember so that the power will be a lied to the driven member in equally Pgl i space sequence.

.In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature, presence oftwo witnesses. `JOHN C. SHERMAN.

Witnesses: I

. M., B.`MAY,

A; W. HAnRIsoN. 

